


The Boar's Head

by CrackingLamb



Series: Junkyard Additions: A Series of Holiday Related Stories [3]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Christmas and New Year's, Early Pregnancy, Established Relationship, F/M, Post-Canon, continuing the sequel to Junkyard Dogs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-09-24 07:50:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17096744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrackingLamb/pseuds/CrackingLamb
Summary: Nora and Company return to the Castle for the holidays, and decide what they're going to do about the 'new' Institute.The Brotherhood of Steel are forced to make their final move in the great game of power in the Commonwealth and something thought lost forever - to Nora anyway - is found.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The boar's head in hand bear I  
> Bedecked with bays and rosemary  
> And I pray you, my masters, be merry  
>  _Quot estis in convivio_
> 
> _Caput apri defero  
>  Reddens laudes Domino_
> 
> ~ The Boar's Head, a Yuletide carol dating from 15th century Britain

Nora popped her head into Dr. Amari's office in the basement of the Memory Den and saw both the doctor and her one time companion. She offered a smile to the reprogrammed synth and hailed the doctor with a wave.

“Are we about ready?” she said by way of greeting.

“Just a moment, General Howard, I'm just inputting X's last round of test results.”

“The doctor says I have done very well,” the synth said, his gray eyes swinging between the two women with a steady gaze. He wasn't her X6 anymore, but this new imprinted personality was holding without sign of trauma – either to his subconscious mind, a worry that Nora had had, or to his cerebral tissue, a worry of Dr. Amari's – and he was nearly ready to rejoin the Minutemen as a valued team member.

“That's good, X. Have you made a decision on the name, yet?”

“I am told X6-88 was a fine designation. A Courser, right? I have no memory of being that man,” he said, only a touch ruefully and with a shake of his head. “But I don't mind being called X, if it pleases you.”

“We've been over this,” Dr. Amari spoke up from behind her bank of computers. “You should pick a name that _you_ like, young man.”

He appeared sheepish, and while it no longer startled Nora to see such an expression from her once highly stoic friend, it still reminded her of how H2-22 had been just before his memory wipe. It was disconcerting, and not for the first time in the last three weeks she wondered if she'd done the right thing. She knew it was purely sentimental to want her old friend back, churlish disposition and all, but she wasn't ready to let him go just yet. And she knew _that_ was selfish. This man deserved to make whatever future for himself that he wanted, not what she wanted for him.

“I like X,” he said.

Nora smiled a little. “If you ever find something you like better, you know you only need to announce it. You're your own man.”

“Thank you, ma'am.”

It came out so naturally, so _easily_. Nora's heart just about stopped and she had to stop herself from gasping in shock. She didn't want to scare him, after all. Dr. Amari looked up from her computer sharply, having heard it too. The two women exchanged a glance but didn't comment to each other. X looked between them again, reading some undercurrent he didn't understand, yet nonetheless knew was present.

 _How much muscle memory remains in the brain like it does in the body_ , Nora mused, watching him. _How much will his_ body _remember being X6-88, regardless of the fact that his new personality is a fairly blank slate?_

“Is something wrong?” X asked. Nora came fully into the room and took his hand in hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Nothing at all, my friend. Put your mind at ease.”

He snorted, and the sound was very reminiscent of his former self. _Well, why shouldn't it be_ , she thought. _The only thing that's changed is his brain. The body and voice are exactly the same_. “That seems to be a common phrase around here.”

She gave his hand another squeeze and went over to the exam table when Dr. Amari asked her to. “Let's see how things are progressing. Do you want X to leave?”

“Of course not. It's just a routine checkup.”

“Very well.”

Dr. Amari pressed her abdomen and listened to her heart rate and measured her pulse. Nora knew she had put on a few pounds and was secretly pleased that she was beginning to have a small round belly instead of the hollow concave one she'd had since waking in the Vault. She was now almost twelve weeks along – three months, the end of the first trimester – and so far, everything had been fine.

“No more morning sickness?”

“Not in the last week or so.”

“No cramps or spotting?”

“None.”

“That's good. I admit, I'm not as practiced at this as I should be. Wastelanders don't generally care about prenatal visits, and living here, I treat mostly ghouls and synths. You should have Curie give you a full exam when you return to the Castle.”

“I plan on it.”

“Well, I'd say you're free to go. Keep taking it as easy as you can, however. Just because you're feeling less ill and tired doesn't mean your resources are endless.”

Nora smiled. “It's not my first rodeo, Amari.”

“Ah, yes, forgive me. I forget sometimes...” She cast a look at X and cleared her throat, obviously keeping her next thought to herself. Nora understood. It couldn't be that easy for others to understand what it meant to be the mother of the former Institute's Director. The timeline was so screwed up, and now that Father was gone, many people preferred not to be reminded of the horrors his policies had enacted on the Commonwealth.

“Well, since I have a clean bill of health, I guess I'll let Hancock know we can leave any time. Do you still want to come with us, X?”

“If Dr. Amari thinks I'm ready to see the outside of these walls.” There was a sardonic glint in his eyes, and a half tilt to his head that made Nora smile. It appeared some vestige of X6-88 _did_ remain. That was the subtlest way to say he was bored that he could possibly have voiced.

For her part, Amari waved a hand at him in dismissal. “Go on, you. Have a care that you listen well to the General, she knows what she's doing out there.”

“Of course.” He stood up, and he followed Nora out of the Memory Den and to the State House without saying another word. His excitement was palpable, however, and he could barely stand still as Nora and Hancock packed up their things and prepared for the hike back down to the Castle.

“You think you're really ready?” she asked him one last time as they made their way to the gate after saying all their goodbyes.

“I am,” he replied, holding the laser rifle she'd given him like he'd been born to it. As he had been in another life. Her heart gave a pang. He was too like his former self in moments like this. Dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, he still stood at the ready, rifle comfortable in his hands, his stance loose and relaxed but prepared for anything. All that was missing was a pair of aviator shades. But she wasn't ready to see that look again just yet.

“Shall we get this show on the road?” Hancock asked quietly, drawing her attention away from the synth.

“Let's do it,” she answered with a smile. She knew Hancock had phrased his question exactly that way to prompt her to reply the way she always had. He was good at getting her out of her own head sometimes. He took her hand in his, holding it tight to keep her grounded and together they went through the gate of Goodneighbor.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The boar's head, as I understand,  
> Is the rarest dish in all the land,  
> Which thus bedeck'd with a gay garland  
> Let us _servire cantico_
> 
>  
> 
> _Caput apri defero_  
>  Reddens laudes Domino
> 
>  
> 
> ~The Boar's Head

No sooner had they reached the Castle when Shaun came running out to them, hugging Nora around the middle before backing away, abashed as only a twelve year old could be by a public display of affection. He turned and shook hands solemnly with Hancock and then broke into a simultaneous grin with his adopted father before they began their usual roughhousing greeting. Then he saw X.

“Welcome to Fort Independence,” he said, his voice steady and firm. “I'm Shaun Howard Hancock.”

“Nice to meet you, Shaun. They call me X.”

Shaun looked at his mother with a bit of surprise. Nora nodded encouragingly. “Can I give you a tour?” the boy asked.

“I'd like that,” X said, holstering the laser rifle as if he'd done a million times before even if he couldn't recall why he knew how to do it so well. The pair went off and Nora breathed a silent sigh of relief. Preston must have orchestrated the welcome, knowing that they were returning and that X was likely to be confused and unsure of his place. Having her son be the one to meet them was a nice touch, especially since only two years past Shaun had gone through the same insecurities.

“Remind me to thank my Lieutenant later,” she murmured to Hancock.

“Will do, Sunshine. You off to see Curie?”

“I am. You want to come along?” Hancock shifted from foot to foot and looked nervous. Nora laughed. “Hey, it's just a check up, love. I'll be having them throughout the pregnancy. If Curie got that biometric scanner working again, we might even get to see the baby.”

“How...?”

“The scanner sends a digital image to a computer, right? With any luck, she's been able to reprogram it to go into deeper detail. It should work like a sonogram.”

“And that's what you folks did before the war? Watched babies growing with pictures?”

She leaned into him, laughing at the face he made. “We sure did. Videos too. The first time Nate saw Shaun, he cried.”

“I ain't gonna cry, Sunshine.”

“Hmm, we'll see about that.”

They started across the marketplace towards Curie's lab, hand in hand. “How did she know to do all that, anyway?” he asked.

“I talked to her last week on Kent's ham radio. I've been keeping her updated the whole time I was in Goodneighbor. That's how Preston knew when we were coming back too.”

Hancock shook his head. “Where was I when all this was goin' on?”

“You were busy dealing with that trade caravan from Bunker Hill. I didn't want to interrupt.”

“Ah, gotcha.”

They arrived at the lab just as Shaun and X were finishing up their tour of it, and Curie was standing by her chem station, her expression not immediately readable. She brightened when she saw Nora and Hancock approaching and hugged her friend tightly before assuming her more professional demeanor.

“I believe I have made the proper recalibrations to the scanner, Madame, if you're ready.”

“I am.”

“What are you guys doing, Mom?” Shaun asked.

“We're going to check on your baby brother or sister.”

“Can I see?”

“Of course, sweetie.” Nora looked over at Hancock with a smile. “Guess we'll have an audience.”

“That'll be a first,” he muttered. Nora snorted.

She lay back on Curie's exam table and lifted her shirt up to her ribs, exposing the small, round bump of her belly. Shaun tucked himself in next to Hancock, and from the corner of her eye she saw her son take his father's hand. A fond look passed between them. Shaun was still finding his way between childhood and impending adulthood and the little moments like these were never to be taken for granted. They always made sure to note each one as it passed.

Curie maneuvered the biometric scanner into position over Nora. She'd attached the scanner to a pivoting arm – rather like an old dental x-ray machine – so she didn't have to hold the heavy equipment by hand. Once it was in place, she activated it and they waited for whatever image they could see to show up on the nearby computer screen. At first it was just a blurry blob, but Curie began tinkering with the focus and soon enough the picture cleared.

And there was her growing baby. Arms, legs, head, body. It was curled into a ball, presenting a profile to them, the trailing edge of the umbilical cord snaking out of the frame and out of focus. Curie captured still images to measure later.

“It's so _tiny_ ,” Hancock said eventually, and he sounded choked. Nora smiled to herself.

“Of course, love. The baby is only just fully formed. From here on out it will get bigger every week.”

“When will we know if it's a boy or a girl?” Shaun asked.

“Not for another few weeks, I would imagine. The baby needs to be bigger and facing the right way for us to see.”

Her son was trying very hard to contain his impatience at the whole process and she wanted to laugh, but didn't move, lest she ruin the accuracy of the scanner's images. Meanwhile X was looking between the machine and her, as if trying to figure out how such a thing was possible. And Hancock...well, Hancock was staring at their baby with a look she'd never seen before. There was a hunger in that gaze that surprised her, for all his bluster about being afraid. He _wanted_ this. He wanted it like he'd never wanted anything before. A single tear tracked over the scars on his cheek. As tempted as she was to tease him over it, she didn't. She had rightly guessed that seeing the evidence of the child growing within her would change his perspective on it, make it more real, more tangible. Relief fell into the place where her fears over his reluctance had been.

“Everything seems to be in order, Madame,” Curie announced, shutting off the scanner and gesturing for Nora to sit up. “I will make the measurements and let you get back to your day.”

“Wait...that's it?” Hancock asked, his voice still overcome with emotion.

“Yes, Monsieur.”

“Thank you, Curie,” Nora said, lowering herself off the gurney. She wiped Hancock's cheek with her thumb, her eyes dancing with mirth when he just stared at her. “Told you so,” she whispered, now that the moment had passed.

“All right, I'll cop to it,” he replied, equally as low. He rested his forehead on hers for a second. “That was incredible.”

“Just you wait, it's going to get better as the baby gets bigger.”

“Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this, ma'am,” X said, drawing her attention. Again the simple use of 'ma'am' struck her, but she just smiled.

“You're very welcome, X. Why don't you have Shaun finish showing you around, and I'll find you later once you've had a chance to settle in.”

“All right.” The boy and the former Courser wandered out of the lab, both of them in a trance-like state. Soon enough, however, she heard Shaun's bright laughter at something X said, and they were back to normal...well, as normal as they could be.

“I'll get our things unpacked,” Hancock said. “I'm sure you want to talk to Preston and get up to date.”

“I do, thanks, love.” They shared a quick kiss and Hancock left the lab as well. Nora turned to Curie. “The baby looks perfectly healthy.”

“Indeed. I did not have doubts, not precisely. Monsieur Hancock's ghoulism is a somatic mutation from the chem he took, and should not have passed into his gamete material. I will, of course, wish to continue monitoring your progress regularly.”

Nora smiled. Curie tended to get overly clinical when she was at a loss for a more human reaction. The question remained whether or not that loss was from seeing Nora's baby or seeing X so changed. “Of course,” she said, sticking with the subject. “Every two weeks?”

“For now, yes. You may go about your duties, Madame. I'll let you know when I am finished with my measurements.”

“Sounds good, Curie.”

Nora went out to the marketplace, hoping to see Preston, but was distracted by the sound of a vertibird approaching. She – and just about everyone else outside – looked up to watch the 'bird come in and land outside the walls of the Castle. Preston reached her side just as she stepped through the concrete gate to meet whoever was visiting from the Brotherhood.

It was Elder Maxson himself, and he was carrying the head of something Nora had thought she'd never see again.

“Is that a radback?” Preston exclaimed.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our steward hath provided this  
> In honour of the King of Bliss;  
> Which, on this day to be served is  
> In _Reginensi atrio._
> 
>  
> 
> _Caput apri defero_  
>  Reddens laudes Domino  
> ~The Boar's Head

“A what now?” Nora asked Preston in confusion. Elder Maxson continued to approach carrying the head of a creature that looked very much like a pig, although the tusks were far larger than any she'd ever seen, and the skin of the creature was mottled and warped, almost like a ghoul's.

“A radback. An irradiated razorback,” Preston explained. It was all Nora could do to prevent herself from jumping for joy and instead she schooled her expression into something like a scolding one.

“Do you mean to tell me that wild boars survived the apocalypse and no one thought to tell me? Do you have any idea how much I've missed bacon?”

“Well...” and Preston looked sheepish for a moment, “they aren't common around here, I mean this far north. I grew up south of Quincy and there were more of them down there. Radbacks are nearly as dangerous as deathclaws, but my papa and I used to hunt them in the fall when I was a kid. The whole town would turn out for the hunt, even if we only ever caught one or two.”

“I believe it. Even in my day they were dangerous. I can't imagine what radiation did to them.” She turned to face Maxson when he got close enough to speak.

“General Howard. You are exceedingly difficult to reach lately. I've been trying to get you on the radio for days.” Nora cocked an eyebrow at Preston, who pretended to look somewhere else. She suppressed a grin; it wouldn't do for Maxson to see how much they enjoyed discomfiting him. It was obvious to her that Preston had willfully neglected to pass along the messages, since she hadn't received any. It wasn't particularly professional of him, but she didn't have the heart to criticize him for it. She knew how little he cared for the Brotherhood of Steel, and even less for its leader.

“Forgive me, Elder. I've been in Goodneighbor the past few weeks.” He didn't look mollified in the slightest, but Nora didn't care. She was too happy to know that pigs still existed. He frowned harder, if such a thing was possible, and tossed the radback's head at her feet.

“One of my patrols came across these creatures south of Vault 95. They're apparently quite vicious and attacked them unprovoked.”

“I don't doubt it,” Preston interjected. “It's a bit late, but it's still mating season. The hogs are in rut, and the sows are bearing. Radbacks don't live in family groups except in the spring, when the sows whelp. The hogs – the males, that is – go off on their own.”

Both Nora and Maxson looked at Preston as if they'd never seen him before. Nora, for her part, because she hadn't known her friend was such a wellspring of knowledge about razorbacks, and Maxson, probably, because he'd never had much to do with the Minutemen other than her, and didn't expect much of anything at all from the 'locals' in typical Brotherhood fashion. In fact, Maxson looked as if he wanted to say something derogatory and dismissive, and Nora decided she needed to nip that before it happened.

“Preston Garvey, you astonish me. I didn't know you had such a wealth of information about pigs.”

“Well, I know you can't herd'em, and they're damn hard to kill. Domestication is right out of the question. But they're good eating if you can kill one.”

“That they are,” she agreed. She swung back to Maxson before he could start in on them both. “Do you happen to have the rest of the animal?”

“Scribe Neriah wanted it for study. I didn't know it was...edible.” He made a face of distaste and Nora laughed.

“Elder Maxson, given the right circumstances, _everything_ is edible. But in the case of wild boar, pork was called the other white meat for a reason. Absolutely everything on a pig is delicious.”

“If radback is the other white meat, what's the first one?” Preston asked.

“Chicken,” Nora said absently. She noticed that Maxson did not seem to be backing down from whatever it was he came to say. “Out with it Elder, I'm sure you didn't leave the sanctity of the Prydwen just to tell me that your Knights killed a wild boar.”

“You are correct, General. They were patrolling the area because I wanted to check in on our Sentinel Site. It doesn't appear that you have cleared that out yet.”

An uneasy silence fell over them then. She honestly hadn't given much thought to returning the Sentinel Site into Brotherhood hands. In fact, if she could somehow work out a deal with the new Institute – one that most certainly involved getting rid of Justin Ayo and coming to an equitable agreement on the synths – she didn't think having it around would be such a bad thing. They certainly had access to, and working knowledge of, more technology than anyone else in the whole of the wasteland. It would be a shame to see it all destroyed because of one man's refusal to work for the greater good.

And that went for the man standing in front of her too.

“Come into the conference room, Arthur,” she said. She kept her tone authoritative but not aggressive. This was going to take some charisma to work out. And Maxson had a history of butting heads with her simply because he could.  Brute force was always an option too.

Once they were seated, Nora faced the younger man squarely, looking him over to see how the past few months had worn him down. And they had. He looked tired. And probably homesick. Three years was a long time to be deployed away from their base of operations on the east coast.

“Elder, I've been wondering...how long were you planning to stay in the Commonwealth? I ask,” she added before he could answer, “because I'm sure there are many things back in DC that need your attention, and quite frankly, your presence here is no longer required.” _It never was_ , she continued to herself.

Arthur sighed, a long suffering sound that showed how young he still was at just 23. “I don't know, General. There is a still a lot of unrest here, and while you destroyed the original Institute, I would hesitate to leave you undefended against this resurgent one.”

“I'm hardly undefended, Arthur,” she countered. “I have more Minutemen than you have Knights and Paladins. With artillery cannon at every settlement. At any given moment I could blast a hole the size of the Crater if I wanted to. But the thing is...I don't think I want to. If I can make peace with this new Institute, I think the Commonwealth as a whole would benefit.”

“You mean you want to save their technological horrors?” He couldn't look more dramatically aghast if he tried, and she suppressed a smile at his naivete.

“Technology will not be the downfall of mankind, Elder. And synths are not inherently evil. Now that they are no longer under the command of the Institute, most synths just want to live out peaceful and productive lives like everyone else here.”

“They are still an abomination that should never have been created.”

“I don't want to have this argument again, Arthur,” she said severely, fully aware that she was treating him like a child. But damn, sometimes he just earned that for himself and no one else was in a position to dish it out quite like she was. “Synths _are_ people, and free citizens of the Commonwealth. Regardless of the ethical concerns over their origin, the fact remains that they live here. They will continue to do so as long as I am in command of the Minutemen.” She eyed him, waiting for his inevitable response.

“I can't condone this course, General Howard.”

She stood up, drawing herself to her full height – which wasn't much. “I'm not asking you to. In fact, I am asking you to leave.”

Maxson looked affronted, and then a stonier kind of anger crept into his scowling face. “I cannot in good conscience leave this region with...”

“With what, Arthur? Peaceful coexistence between humans, ghouls and synths? Believe me, I'm well able to deal with the super mutants on my own. The raider population is steadily decreasing as more settlements expand and there are more choices in life now. The way I see it, you have never wanted peace for this region. You want domination. Well, you're not going to get it. This is _my_ Commonwealth, Arthur Maxson. We never asked for you to come here, we never wanted you here. Go home and return to your duties there.”

“How dare you...” he started, jumping up from his seat and barreling towards her. She drew her 10mm sidearm and held it steadily between them.

“I dare because I am the leader of this region. _You_ are the interloper here. I've tried again and again to deal with you peacefully. You have resisted and refused at every turn. We have never agreed on what's best for the communities that reside here. We are not yours to subjugate and revile. Nor are we yours to follow your orders, to fulfill your tasks or even to provide you with food and shelter unless you fork over the agreed upon sum for it. Oh yes,” she nodded when she saw that point being driven home, “I know about your supposed deals with the farms within trade space of the airport. When you haven't outright stolen goods from hardworking farmers, you've swindled them out of their fair share of caps. I've turned a blind eye to keep the peace, but no longer. I will not bend for you Arthur, and you are in no position to hold any leverage against me.”

“Nora...I...”

“You've used up your chances with me, Arthur. Your faction is little more than a hoarding bully, and a bigoted one at that. There is no place for you here. Go. Home.”

“And if I refuse to do so?”

She had to hand it to him, he was calm in the face of her weapon. But her patience had worn out and she knew she had the firepower to exert her will. “Then I will either make you leave, or destroy you utterly.”

“Do you think that by doing so your Minutemen will still look up to you? Do you think they will continue to revere you as some sort of saint then?”

“My men and women will follow my orders because they are loyal and their loyalty has been paid off with peace and prosperity. Do you think I am the only one who wishes you gone from our airspace? Do you think you have earned yourself any respect or loyalty in turn after the way you treat us? My Minutemen will gladly fire those same artillery cannon at the Prydwen if needs be. That crater I spoke of could just as easily be in the airport as in the Glowing Sea. This is your final chance to leave peacefully, Arthur. I suggest you take it.”

He wanted to fight her, she could see it in his body language. But he was unarmed and unprotected, not having expected to have this conversation with her. And she'd chosen wisely to keep them in the conference room, where no other eyes were watching. She knew she had won when he sighed and took a step backwards, his hands held out in placation.

“I will need some time to recall all my forces, not to mention to restock and refuel for the trip home.”

“I'm not a monster. I will give you until the beginning of the new year.”

“That is only ten days from now,” he said darkly.

“It is. So you'd better get moving.” She lowered the 10mm and turned away from him to open the conference room doors. “Goodbye, Arthur.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a wonderful and blessed holiday season, and a joyous New Year, AO3!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The boar's head in hand bear I  
> Bedeck'd with bays and rosemary  
> And I pray you, my masters, be merry  
>  _Quot estis in convivio_
> 
> _Caput apri defero  
>  Reddens laudes Domino_  
> ~The Boar's Head

Nora watched as the Prydwen disengaged from its moorings at the airport. In the end, she'd agreed to allow Elder Maxson to retain a single holding in the Commonwealth, the research facility at Vault 95. Two Paladins, four Knights and a bevy of Scribes remained behind as the rest of the Brotherhood of Steel departed for the Capital Wasteland.

“Better late than never,” MacCready said at her side. He'd just returned from Somerville Place with Strong after fully recovering from the laser shot wound on his leg. He would always have some scars, but the wound itself had healed, and he didn't even walk with a limp.

“Now to deal with Justin Ayo,” Nora said to him.

“You really think you can make peace with the rest of the new Institute?” Mac sounded doubtful and she looked over at him with a small smile.

“I do. I have a few tricks up my sleeve, made more effective by my secret weapon.” She nodded her chin to the other end of the wall of the Castle and Mac turned to see where she was gesturing. Madison Li stood watching the Prydwen too, her face set in stern lines that nevertheless conveyed a feeling of relief.

***

The muster of the Minutemen took far less time than Nora had expected. Within a week scores of yellow jacketed men and women poured into the Castle, taking up every single cot, bed and sleeping bag as soon as she could lay them down. Now they were ready.

Preston stayed behind this time, the better to serve as leader in her absence. X stayed with him, a laser rifle in his hands and Curie by his side. Nora reminded herself that she was doing this not just to avenge her former Courser, but to free all the synths once more. She stepped into her power armor after kissing Shaun's forehead, and went to the head of her army to lead them into the Glowing Sea. Most of them carried packs on their backs with supplies – Rad-X and RadAway included – and the march was planned out over a two day route. Before she left the Castle, she spared a glance at Shaun, standing between Curie and X. The three synths waved to her and she felt determination to end this settle into her as surely as the child growing within her.

“You ready, Sunshine?” Hancock asked and she nodded, the bulky armor creaking and squeaking at the neck hinge.

“Let's do it,” she replied. “Minutemen! Onwards!”

***

The Sentinel Site stood silent and looming in the faint green tinge of the Glowing Sea, just as before. Hancock whistled low when he saw it, and Nora reminded herself that he hadn't been this far into the Sea before. Their last trip together into this region had been much farther west, closer to the Crater.

“That's impressive,” he said.

“Yeah, wait until you see the inside.”

She marched her army right up to the walls, spreading them out in a defensive wall. She knew it would take too long for them all to get inside, so she'd handpicked a dozen or so to join her and Hancock in their assault to take out Justin Ayo. Madison Li was part of that handpicked group, and Nora couldn't remember seeing a fiercer face on anyone. The diminutive Advanced Systems head was ready for this fight.

Just as before, the heavy blast door was closed, but not locked. Nora still couldn't get over the level of arrogance – or ignorance – shown by the Institute when it came to defense. She opened the door and led her team inside. However, unlike before, the catwalks and office spaces were full of scientists and synths, and every eye landed on her and her team as soon as they stepped onto the high balcony.

“Perfect,” she said under her breath.

“You gonna just ask for him to be turned over to you?” Hancock murmured.

“Might as well give it a shot,” she murmured back. She cracked the helmet of her power suit so everyone watching could see her face. There was a flurry of activity among the synth workers, leading her to believe that they knew who she was. Either they hadn't been wiped – which made her murderous anger at Ayo stronger – or they had been verbally warned that she might possibly show up. She tipped up her chin and took a deep breath to project her voice out into the open space.

“I am General Nora Howard Hancock of the Commonwealth Minutemen, and I am here to liberate these people from the slavery imposed upon them by Justin Ayo and any compatriots he might have. Hand him over to me, and no one will be hurt. Defend him, and you will die with him.”

A cluster of black clad Coursers moved to close ranks around Ayo, giving away his position. Nora shook her heard internally. Tactics had never been their strong suit. She directed her handpicked Minutemen to hold them down into one place, and gestured for Dr. Li to come with her.

The pair of them approached the knot of stoic faced Coursers and stood with a few feet between them. The sense of self preservation was still inherent in the other synths and they had cleared the catwalks in moments, leaving Nora and her group alone with Ayo and his bodyguards.

“Justin, I'm only going to ask once,” she said, pitching her voice so he couldn't fail to hear her. “Give this up and I'll let you stay on as a department head. Release the synths and hand over the technology for that wiping field.”

“Or you'll what? Kill me in cold blood?” the former SRB head sneered at her. He didn't look afraid and Nora smiled a little. _Foolish, foolish little man_.

“No, but I am invoking the decree, as handed to me by my son, Shaun Howard, to choose a new Director in my stead. I'm sure you haven't forgotten that Father wanted _me_ to take over for him, have you?”

“He rescinded that desire as soon as you proved yourself to be nothing more than another dirty topsider.”

“That may be so, but there are precious few here to argue that point. What's it going to be, Justin? You can come peacefully and face the justice of your peers, or you can fight, and I will happily kill you myself.”

From the darkness below, Nora heard the sound of Gen-2's powering up. Ayo must have had a hand held control out of sight, or perhaps a contingency plan had been put in place after her last visit, and another scientist had brought the troops online after the scramble to clear the catwalks. She made a face of acceptance and put her helmet back on. He'd made his decision.

“Remember you chose this, Justin. I gave you a way out.”

As a unit, the Coursers activated their stealth boys and dispersed into her ranks of Minutemen. But their laser shots weren't as effective as Ayo had probably hoped. No member of her ranks was allowed into conflict without wearing the highest level of ballistic weave she could manage. Red and blue laser fire raced back and forth across the crowded space, and soon enough hand to hand combat engaged on the narrow walkways as Gen-2's began to pour from the freight elevator and up the stairs.

Nora pulled Madison Li behind her, shielding her with her bulk in the power armor. “Hancock, cover her and get her to a safe location!” she shouted. “I need to shut the power down.”

“Understood!” Hancock shouted back, stepping into the space she'd been. She waded through the fights going on all around her, the activated Tesla arc on her suit's chest piece sparking and shocking those who got too close. The arc overloaded some of the older and more battered robotic synths, clearing the way for her men to keep the fight going above. Someone must have called for reinforcements from outside, since she could heard her name being brandished as a rallying cry behind her.

The power for the facility was down in the lowest level, she knew. And the fastest way to get there would just be to vault over the railing and drop down, trusting the suit to protect her from the fall. She heard Ayo shout as she leaped, and she landed atop a waiting queue of synths, the shuddering landing throwing those out of her immediate reach backwards with the force of it. She brought up her shotgun and made short work of them, blasting away at arms and legs until she could find a clear path through the chaos to the power housing.

Along the way she peripherally saw scientists and Gen-3's hiding in offices and barracks, none of them putting up any resistance as she worked her way through the ranks of machines loyal to Ayo. Her HUD picked up movement near the lowest level, where once there were Mark 28 warheads in storage. She knew there was a blast door control computer there, and figured that same console controlled the power inside the Site as well.

The fight was fiercer there, and the Gen-2's were models she'd only seen once before. They were elite members of Father's personal squad, those that had protected the mass reactor inside the previous Institute. She grimaced inside her helmet, wishing she had Hancock by her side, but fought on grimly, stopping behind cover once in a while to hit the ration tubes inside the suit, and once or twice a stimpak. When they were finally all dead or at least crippled to the point of being unable to fight back, she went to the computer and called up the access controls.

“You never did learn to keep me out, Justin,” she muttered, hacking an override into the programming and shutting down the power all over the pyramid. Darkness fell absolute and unrelieved and within moments the sounds of fighting stopped as combatants could no longer see each other. The risk of friendly fire was too high. This eventuality was part of what she and Dr. Li had worked on in during the muster of her troops. Enhancements to the laser muskets would allow the Minutemen to use something like night vision to pinpoint and hold down their opponents, while her suit had a high beam headlamp attached to the helmet. She switched it on and made her way back to the top of the pyramid, finding a much smaller knot of Coursers surrounding Ayo, defensively hemmed in by her men.

“You didn't really think you were going to win, did you, Justin?” she asked softly.

“How have you always undone my best plans?” he whined. She wouldn't have been a bit surprised if he followed that up by stamping his foot and wiping his nose like a child having a tantrum.

“I've said it before. Your programming simply does not compare to real world experience. You always forgot, didn't you, that I am _not_ a wastelander. I am a pre-war civilian from a war torn time that puts your attempts to rule the Commonwealth to shame. I faced greater challenges than you just getting here. Now,” she turned to face the Coursers, “you can either surrender your weapons and allow us to take Justin Ayo into custody, or you can give up what remains of your lives to defend him. Which will it be?”

“We cannot allow you to subvert our Director's orders,” one of them ground out.

“So be it,” Nora said sadly, gesturing to her men to prepare to fire. All the muskets cranked to their highest settings, a formidable wall of sound that even the bravest Courser should have been afraid to hear. The one who spoke turned pale in the light of her headlamp, while the others dropped their weapons and stepped aside from Ayo. They weren't happy about it – she could tell from their expressions – but they knew better than to throw their lives away too. “Do you stand down?” she asked wearily.

“We do,” the Courser said. Ayo looked apoplectic and made a move to grab the nearest weapon he could reach. Nora thumped him on the head with her suited fist and he crumpled to the floor like a boneless rag.

“Madison Li,” she called, waiting for the petite Advanced Systems leader to push through the crowd. Once she was at her side, Nora nodded once and gestured to the Coursers. “I hereby promote you from Head of Advanced Systems to Director of the Institute. Each of these synths is now under your control, as well as the scientists and civilians living within this space. Do you accept?”

“I do,” Dr. Li said firmly. “You, Courser, what is your designation?”

“X5-98,” the pale man said.

“X5-98, do you recognize my authority as Director?”

“I do.”

“Then you are hereby ordered to confine Justin Ayo to a holding cell, pending his expulsion from this place. Upon doing that, you and your fellows are ordered to restore the power and take down the grid outside that prevents synths from coming and going. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Director.”

“Then get to work.”

***

“It's going to take a lot to get this place running smoothly,” Madison Li said, standing next to Nora and looking over the railing to the interior of the Sentinel Site. Ayo had been sent to live out the rest of his life on Spectacle Island, and in the week since their effective takeover, most of the others had fallen in line with Li's leadership, knowing that a similar fate awaited them if they didn't. No more would the Institute be synonymous with fear.

“More than likely. But you'll have plenty of hands soon enough. I've already put out a call to those who defected when I blew up the old Institute. You should be back at full strength in a couple of weeks.”

“Thank you, General Howard. I look forward to working with you to better the Commonwealth as a whole. And thank you, too, for understanding that was all I ever wanted to do.”

“I'm sorry it took so long.” The two women shook hands and smiled at each other.

“I hope we can get back to work soon. There are just so many projects to get a handle on, I barely know where to begin.”

“I think I know a good place.” Nora handed Madison a sealed bag with the boar's head in it. “I miss bacon. See what you and Clayton Holdren can do about that.”

Director Li laughed, a sudden joyful sound. “I think I will.”

 

~Fin~

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience with how long this took. The flu was no joke, and then we had a death in the family follow too closely on it heels. This didn't go exactly how I wanted, but the main conflict is over, and that DID happen the way I wanted it. Look for the next segment of this series to occur around Valentine's Day.


End file.
